Pumping apparatus

ABSTRACT

A valve mechanism useful in a pump for pumping concrete comprising a valve member which alternately squeezes closed each of two flexible hoses leading from a hopper which holds concrete to be pumped, and which alternately squeezes closed a pair of flexible hoses leading to two outlets which discharge concrete under pressure. The valve member squeezes the hoses against anvils that are supported on springs, so that a hose is not damaged when a large rock is present therein at the point where the hose is being squeezed.

UnitedStates Patent Kelly F. Alton Malibu, Calif.

[21] AppLNo. 804,512

[22] Filed Mar. 5, 1969 [45] Patented May 18,1971

[73] Assignee James D. Earle Los Angeles, Calif. fractional partinterest [72] Inventor [54] PUMPING APPARATUS 7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 417/454, 417/479, 417/539, 417/900 [51] Int. Cl. ..F04b21/00, F04b 43/00, F04b 11/00 [50] Field of Search 103/170, 153, 227;417/454, 479, 510, 539, 900

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,017,974 10/1935 Kastner103/153 2,985,192 5/1961 Taylor et a1 251/7 3,320,901 5/1967 Koy103/153(X) 3,321,172 5/1967 Buss 251/7 3,327,634 6/1967 Whiteman 103/49OTHER REFERENCES IBM. Technical Disclosure Bulletin entitled DispensingViscous Curable Liquids in Measured Amounts by Bromberg, Vol. 10, No. 4,Sept. 1967, Copy in class 251 subclass 7.

Primary Examiner-William L. Freeh Att0meysSamuel Lindenberg and ArthurFreilich &

Wasserman ABSTRACT: A valve mechanism useful in a pump for pumpingconcrete comprising a valve member which alternately squeezes closedeach of two flexible hoses leading from a hopper which holds concrete tobe pumped, and which alternately squeezes closed a pair of flexiblehoses leading to two outlets which discharge concrete under pressure.The valve member squeezes the hoses against anvils that are supported onsprings, so that a hose is not damaged when a large rock is presenttherein at the point where the hose is being squeezed.

PUMPING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThis invention relates to valve mechanisms, and more particularly. to avalve mechanism for a pump which pumps concrete and like materials.

2. Description of the Prior Art Modern building construction oftenutilizes machinery for pumping concrete to high levels where it ispoured into forms. A common type of concrete pump utilizes rams whoseram cylinders are filled with concrete from a hopper during thebackstroke. During the forward stroke, the rams push the concrete intothe pipeline which leads to the form. Generally, a pair of rams isutilized, one moving back and drawing concrete from the hopper while theother moves forward to pump concrete into the pipeline.

Each ram requires a pair of valves for its operation. One is the hoppervalve which leads to the hopper. It closes during the forward stroke toprevent concrete from being pumped back into the hopper. The other isthe pipeline valve, which closes during the backstroke to preventconcrete from returning through the pipeline to the ram. Where concreteis pumped to high levels, large pressures are encountered. The highpressures plus the abrasive nature of concrete results in heavy wear onthe valve.

A typical prior art valve included a T pipe section with a cross part inseries with the pipeline or hopper and a leg part which served as avalve cylinder. A rubber valve piston with packing thereabout movedthrough the leg part to block and unblock the cross part so as tocontrol the flow of concrete. Such valves often failed to work properlyafter a brief period of difficult pumping conditions. Typically, after afew hundred cubic yards of concrete had been pumped, the piston wouldhand on the cylinder walls, that is, the piston would not move. The pumpwould have to be stopped and the piston freed. Hanging and erraticperformance would continue for the remaining life of the piston packingwhich was only about l,000 cubic yards of pumped concrete. The valveassembly would then have to be disassembled and new packing installed toprevent excessive leakage of the liquid portion of the concrete,generally referred to as sap, past the piston. After several thousandcubic yards, the rubber piston was worn excessively and had to bereplaced.

The disassembly of the valve, either to correct a piston hanging or tochange piston packing or the piston, was time consuming. The cost ofsuch stoppages was high particularly in that it halted production andwasted the time of large construction crews. In addition, the cost ofthe valves was considerable and the limited life of the pistons, of onlyseveral thousand cubic yards of pumped concrete, resulted inconsiderable maintenance costs just for parts.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present inventionis to provide a valve mechanism of great simplicity, low cost, andsubstantial life.

Another object is to provide a valve mechanism for a concrete pump,which can be rapidly repaired.

In accordance with the present invention, a valve mechanism is providedwhich is suitable for use in a concrete pump, which is of simpleconstruction, and which is easy to repair. The valve mechanism includesa flexible section of hose which is squeezed closed by a valve memberthat presses the hose against an anvil member. The anvil member can bemounted on-springs or provided with a deformable surface, so that itdeflects away if a large rock is located within the hose portion whichis being squeezed. This reduces the likelihood of damaging the hose.When the hose wears out or is damaged, it can be easily and rapidlyreplaced.

In one embodiment of the invention, two generally elevated inlet pipeslead from the concrete-holding hopper to the rams, and two lower outletpipes lead from the rams to the pump outlet. The rams operate 180 out ofphase with each other so that one ram is filling with concrete while theother is pumping out concrete. Each of the four pipes has a flexiblehose section, and a single moving valve member performs the squeezingoperation on all four hose sections at the proper time during thecycles.

In this embodiment the valve member moves up and down, and has twosides, one side alternately squeezing the inlet and outlet pipesconnected to one ram and the other side alternately squeezing the inletand outlet pipes connected to the other ram. A first side of the valvemember has a single closing portion which is positioned between the twohoses it controls. When this closing portion moves up it pushes theupper hose against an anvil located above the hose, and when it movesdown, it pushes the lower hose down against an anvil located below thelower hose. A second side of the valve member has two closing portions,with the upper and lower hoses located between them, and a two-sidedanvil located between the hoses. When these two closing portions moveup, the lower closing portion pushes up the lower hose against the anvilto squeeze it closed, and when they move down the upper closing portionpushes down the upper hose against the anvil tosqueeze it closed. Thisarrangement allows a single moving valve member to control concrete flowthrough all four pipes.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. The invention will be best understood from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of aconcrete pump with a valve mechanism constructed in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view ofthe pump of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the valve mechanism of the pump ofFIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of the valve mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of an anvil of the valve mechanism ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of the anvil of FIG. 5, with the hosewhich it operates in an open position;

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of the anvil of FIG. 6, with the hose ina closed position; and

FIG. 8 is a partially sectional view taken on the line 8-3 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a pumpfor moving concrete received in a hopper 10 through an outlet 12, so theconcrete can thereafter flow through a nozzle 13 to the location whereit is poured into forms. Concrete dumped into the hopper 10 passes downthrough a pair of feed lines or pipes 14 and 16 to a pair of rams 18 and20, respectively. The rams 18, 20 push out this concrete which flowsthrough a pair of out lines or pipes 22, 24 that merge into the singleoutlet 12. The two rams operate alternately to provide a relativelycontinuous flow of concrete through the outlet.

A valve assembly 26 controls the flow of concrete through the four lines14, 16, 22 and 24. As a piston 18? of ram 18 moves to its rearwardposition, the feed line 14 is opened by the valve assembly to allowconcrete to fall into the area in front of the piston. During this time,the out line 22 is closed to prevent the backflow of concrete into thehopper. The concrete may be pumped to large heights such as severalstories, and unless the feed line 14 were closed, concrete would rushback through it. When the area in front of the piston 18? is filled andthe piston begins its forward stroke, the feed line I4 is closed whilethe out line 12 is opened. The other ram 20, its piston 20?, feed line16, and out line 24 operate in a similar manner but at different times.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show details of construction of the valve assembly 26 andof the portions of the lines l4, 16, 22 and 24.

Each line has a flexible hose section 14H, 16H, 22H and 24H, at theposition where the line passes through the valve assembly. Each of thehoses can be squeezed or pinched off so that no concrete can flowthrough them. The assembly includes four anvils 28, 30, 32 and 34 and avalve member 36 with four closing portions 38, 40, 42, 44. The valvemember 36 is reciprocated up and down by a hydraulic cylinder 46. Whenthe valve member is moved to its upward position, as shown in FIGS. 3and 4, valve closing portion 38 is away from anvil 28 so that hose 14His fully opened to allow concrete to flow from the hopper to ram 18. Inaddition, the closing portion 40 is adjacent to the anvil 30 so thathose 16H, which is between them, is pinched off to prevent the backflowof concrete from the ram 20 to the hopper. Further, hose 22H leadingfrom the ram 18 to the outlet is pinched closed between valve closingportion 42 and anvil 32, while hose 24H is fully opened by reason of theseparation of closing portion 44 and anvil 34.

When the cylinder 46 moves the valve member 36 down, hoses MH and 24Hare fully closed, while hoses 16H and 22H are fully opened. When thevalve member is moved up, the reverse occurs. Thus, all four hoses areopened and closed at the proper time using only one moving valve member.This is accomplished with the feed lines 14 and 16 maintained higherthan the out lines 22 and 24, which is desirable to facilitate the flowof concrete from the hopper to the rams by gravity while using a simplepipeline arrangement.

FIG. illustrates anvil 34 which is constructed similarly to the otheranvils. It includes an upper base member 47 with a knife portion 48. Thehose is squeezed between the knife portion and the valve closingportion. The knife portion 48 is shown as a pyramidlike portion toconcentrate the squeezing to substantially a line that extends acrossthe hose. However, a flat upper surface of the upper base member 47 canbe used as a knife portion instead of a tapered part. The upper basemember 47 is held a predetermined distance from a lower base member 50by four bolts 52, one bolt positioned at each corner of the base. Thelower base member 50 is supported by four springs 54, one at each comerportion that are held on a mount 56. Four additional bolts 58 with nuts70 at their lower ends extend through the middle ofthe springs andthrough the lower base portion and mount, the bolts holding the springsin compression.

The springs 54 are useful in reducing wear and damage to the hose. Theyare provided largely because the concrete to be pumped generallycontains gravel of appreciable size. If a piece of gravel is caught at aposition within the hose where the knife portion 48 presses on the hose,the hose may tear. However, the springs allow the knife portion 48 todeflect away from the hose ifa large resistance is encountered to fullyclosing the hose. This deflection increases the width of minimumconstriction of the hose (the distance between the valve member andknife portion when they are moved closest together) in accordance withthe resistance of the hose to squeezing. The hoses may be constructed ofan elastic materi al, such as latex rubber, which can be indentedslightly by small pieces of gravel without tearing, or of a flexible butnonelastic material.

The degree to which the hose is squeezed closed can be adjusted byadjusting the bolts 52 that connect the upper and lower base members.Normally, the distance between the mount 56 and knife portion 48 is setso that the hose is squeezed to a degree that prevents more than atrickle of concrete sap to pass through the hose. Lowering the upperbase number 47 makes the pump less efficient because of backflow, whileraising it may increase wear on the hose. The distance may be adjustedfor different types of concrete. Bolt adjustments can also be made tomaintain alignment so the hose is squeezed evenly.

The force required to overcome the preloading of the springs 54, toallow for deflection of the knife portion 48 can also be adjusted. Thisis accomplished by turning the nuts 70 to vary the distance between themount 56 and lower base portion 50, and therefore the amount ofpreloading of the springs. Of course, any change in spring preloadingmust be accompanied by a counteracting change in the separation of baseportions 47, 50 if the same squeezing space is to be maintained betweenthe valve closing portions and the anvil. It should be noted that othermeans can be provided to enable deflection of the anvil, such as byconstructing the knife portion 48 of rubber.

The valve mechanism is constructed so that the flexible hoses 14H, 16H,22H and 24H can be easily and rapidly replaced when they wear out or aredamaged. As shown in FIG. 3, the hose 24H has opposite ends 25H attachedto a rigid pipeline at opposite ends of the valve mechanism. The hosesection can be readily installed by inserting it through :he space inthe valve mechanism between the anvil 34 and closing portion 44 when thelatter is raised, and attaching the ends of the hose to the pipeline. Asshown in FIG. 8, the end 25H of the flexible hose section has a fitting62 attached to the flexible hose by a plurality of bolts 64 with wideheads. The fitting 62 is attached to a fitting 66 on the end of therigid pipeline by a clamp mechanism 68. The clamp 68 includes a pairofmembers hinged at one end 70 and having an overcenter latch and arm 72at the other end for holding the clamp members together. When theflexible hose is worn, the clamp members at both ends are loosened, anda new hose with fittings thereon is installed. Removal and installationdo not require disassembly oi the valve mechanism, and can beaccomplished in only a couple of minutes.

Difficulty sometimes can be encountered in inserting one end of thcflexible hose, with a fitting 62 thereon, through the valve mechanismbetween the anvil and valve closing portion, because of the greaterdiameter and the rigidity of the fitting. To facilitate suchinstallation, the hydraulic cylinder and valve member 36 thereon aremounted for pivoting about a substantially vertical axis. A handle 74 isattached to the cylinder to facilitate rotation. The handle is pivotallymounted at joint 76, and is biased downwardly so a latch 78 thereonnormally engages a recess in the machine frame to lock it and thecylinder in place. However, the handle 74 can be lifted up and rotatedto position 74A, to thereby pivot the valve member 36 so as to open upthe space where a hose is to be inserted. After hose installation, thehandle is pivoted back to its original position.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variationsmay readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it isintended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications andequivalents.

lclaim:

l. A valve mechanism for use with a concrete pump wherein concrete flowsfrom a hopper downwardly through two feed lines into two rams whichoperate about out of phase and then into two out lines that merge intoan outlet, comprising:

four flexible sections of hose, one in series with each of said feedlines and outlines;

four anvil means, each positioned on one side of each of said hoses;

a valve member having four closing portions for squeezing said hosesagainst said anvil means to close off the flow of concrete through saidhoses; and

means for reciprocating said valve member;

a first of said feed lines and a first of said out lines disposed on oneside of said valve member, and a second of said feed lines and second ofsaid out lines positioned on another side of said member, said hoses ofsaid feed lines lying above said hoses of said out lines at said anvilmeans;

a first pair of said anvil means positioned between said first feed lineand first out line, and a second pair of said anvil means positionedabove and below said second feed line and second out line, reswctively;and

a first pair of said closing portions positioned above and below saidfirst feed line and first out line, respectively, and a second pair ofsaid closing portions positioned between said second feed line andsecond out line, whereby to control the flow of concrete for operationof said rams about 180 out of phase.

2. The valve mechanism described in claim 1 wherein:

each of said anvil means includes knife means for supporting one side ofa hose squeezed thereagainst, support means positioned on a side of saidknife means opposite the hose squeezed against said knife means, andspring means disposed between said knife and supportmeans to permitlimited movement of said knife means away from said hose.

3. The valve mechanism described in claim 1 wherein:

each of said anvil means includes a first member having a knife portionfor contacting said hose, a second member spaced from said first member,a third member spaced from said second member, first coupling means forcoupling said first and second members, and second coupling means forcoupling said second and third members; and

one of said coupling means includes spring means for biasing a pair ofsaid members apart, and both of said coupling means includes means forvarying the separation of the pair of members it couples prior to hosesqueezing.

4. The valve mechanism described in claim 1 wherein:

said feed lines and outlines have fittings on either side of said valvemechanism for the rapid installation and removal of the ends of saidsections of hose, and said valve mechanism is open at the sides facingsaid fittings to permit the rapid insertion of said hoses through thevalve mechanism.

5. A concrete pump comprising:

a hopper for receiving concrete;

a ram for pushing concrete;

a feed line leading from said hopper to said ram, including a flexiblehose section;

an out line leading from said ram for discharging concrete underpressure, said out line including a flexible hose section;

a pair of anvils, each disposed on a side of one of said flexible hosesections;

a valve member mounted for oscillation, said valve member having closingportions which alternately move toward said anvils as said valve memberoscillates; and

means for oscillating said valve member in synchronism with theoperation of said ram, to alternately squeeze closed said feed andoutlines.

6. A concrete pump comprising:

a hopper for receiving concrete;

a ram for pushing concrete;

a feed line leading from said hopper to said ram, including'a flexiblehose section;

an out line leading from said ram for discharging concrete underpressure, said out line including a fle xible hose section; and

valve apparatus for alternately squeezing closed said flexible hosesections of said feed line and out line in synchronism with theoperation of said ram, said valve apparatus including a pair of anvils,each disposed on a side of a flexible hose section, valve closing means,and means for moving said valve closing means altemately toward saidanvils, to move said valve closing means between first positions closeto said anvils and second positions furthest therefrom, said valveclosing means mounted for movement to third positions that increase thespace over said anvils when said pump is not operating to facilitate theinsertion of a flexible hose through the space between said anvils andvalve closing means.

7. A concrete pump comprising:

a hopper for receiving concrete;

a ram for pushing concrete;

a feed line leading from said hopper to said ram, including a flexiblehose section; an out line leading from said ram for discharging concreteunder pressure, said out line including a flexible hose section;

valve means for alternately squeezing closed said flexible hose sectionsof said feed line and out line in synchronism with the operation of saidram, said valve means including an anvil member positioned on one sideof each flexible hose section and a valve closing member movable againstY the opposite side of each flexible hose section;

at least one of said members at each hose section being mounted todeflect away from said hose section upon encountering more than apredetermined resistance to squeezing, to prevent damage when a largepiece of gravel is in position to prevent complete closing.

1. A valve mechanism for use with a concrete pump wherein concrete flowsfrom a hopper downwardly through two feed lines into two rams whichoperate about 180* out of phase and then into two out lines that mergeinto an outlet, comprising: four flexible sections of hose, one inseries with each of said feed lines and outlines; four anvil means, eachpositioned on one side of each of said hoses; a valve member having fourclosing portions for squeezing said hoses against said anvil means toclose off the flow of concrete through said hoses; and means forreciprocating said valve member; a first of said feed lines and a firstof said out lines disposed on one side of said valve member, and asecond of said feed lines and second of said out lines positioned onanother side of said member, said hoses of said feed lines lying abovesaid hoses of said out lines at said anvil means; a first pair of saidanvil means positioned between said first feed line and first out line,and a second pair of said anvil means positioned above and below saidsecond feed line and second out line, respectively; and a first pair ofsaid closing portions positioned above and below said first feed lineand first out line, respectively, and a second pair of said closingportions positioned between said second feed line and second out line,whereby to control the flow of concrete for operation of said rams about180* out of phase.
 2. The valve mechanism described in claim 1 wherein:each of said anvil means includes knife means for supporting one side ofa hose squeezed thereagainst, support means positioned on a side of saidknife means opposite the hose squeezed against said knife means, andspring means disposed between said knife and support means to permitlimited movement of said knife means away from said hose.
 3. The valvemechanism described in claim 1 wherein: each of said anvil meansincludes a first member having a knife portion for contacting said hose,a second member spaced from said first member, a third member spacedfrom said second member, first coupling means for coupling said firstand second members, and second coupling means for coupling said secondand third members; and one of said coupling means includes spring meansfor biasing a pair of said members apart, and both of said couplingmeans includes means for varying the separation of the pair of membersit couples prior to hose squeezing.
 4. The valve mechanism described inclaim 1 wherein: said feed lines and outlines have fittings on eitherside of said valve mechanism for the rapid installation and removal ofthe ends of said sections of hose, and said valve mechanism is open atthe sides facing said fittings to permit the rapid insertion of saidhoses through the valve mechanism.
 5. A concrete pump comprising: ahopper for receiving concrete; a ram for pushing concrete; a feed lineleading from said hopper to said ram, including a flexible hose section;an out line leading from said ram for discharging concrete underpressure, said out line including a flexible hose section; a pair ofanvils, each disposed on a side of one of said flexible hose sections; avalve member mounted for oscillation, said valve member having closingportions which alternately move toward said anvils as said valve memberoscillates; and means for oscillating said valve member in synchronismwith the operation of said ram, to alternately squeeze closed said feedand out lines.
 6. A concrete pump comprising: a hopper for receivingconcrete; a ram for pushing concrete; a feed line leading from saidhopper to said ram, inCluding a flexible hose section; an out lineleading from said ram for discharging concrete under pressure, said outline including a flexible hose section; and valve apparatus foralternately squeezing closed said flexible hose sections of said feedline and out line in synchronism with the operation of said ram, saidvalve apparatus including a pair of anvils, each disposed on a side of aflexible hose section, valve closing means, and means for moving saidvalve closing means alternately toward said anvils, to move said valveclosing means between first positions close to said anvils and secondpositions furthest therefrom, said valve closing means mounted formovement to third positions that increase the space over said anvilswhen said pump is not operating to facilitate the insertion of aflexible hose through the space between said anvils and valve closingmeans.
 7. A concrete pump comprising: a hopper for receiving concrete; aram for pushing concrete; a feed line leading from said hopper to saidram, including a flexible hose section; an out line leading from saidram for discharging concrete under pressure, said out line including aflexible hose section; valve means for alternately squeezing closed saidflexible hose sections of said feed line and out line in synchronismwith the operation of said ram, said valve means including an anvilmember positioned on one side of each flexible hose section and a valveclosing member movable against the opposite side of each flexible hosesection; at least one of said members at each hose section being mountedto deflect away from said hose section upon encountering more than apredetermined resistance to squeezing, to prevent damage when a largepiece of gravel is in position to prevent complete closing.